At Fault
by RayneAllNight
Summary: "I said stuff I didn't mean and it hurt you and as soon as you left I regretted it. When you left it made me realize how much I need you, not Brian. I'm sorry it took all my screw-ups and Valentina dying for me to come to my senses, but I would really like a second chance ." "You do realize that you're really on you third or fourth chance?" Alek asked, smirking a little. "Shut up."
1. Chapter 1

**I am back! Well, I mean I know I've been writing, but I'm back with a new Chloe King story! Let me know how it is! I am starting where season 1 ended. **

Alek stood stock still, glaring across the room at Zane. Zane smirked as Alek took in the mess a second time.

"You harmed the only family I had left," Alek growled before launching himself at the other Mai. The two wrestled around the room, Alek dodging Zane's knife while Zane dodged Alek's claws.

"Now now. I'm still here. _Brother_," Zane said, twisting Alek's arm back. Alek gasped in pain, trying to pull free.

"I have no brother. And it's certainly not a murder like you," Alek hissed. The two fought on. Jasmine watched with tears in her eyes. She was dying, Alek was losing, and Chloe was probably all alone being attacked as well. And she thought to herself as Alek clawed at Zane's face, _this is all my fault_. Minutes passed before Alek stood. Zane slumped to the ground. Dead. Alek had tears running down his cheeks. Jasmine gasped audibly as the pain grew worse. The sound woke Alek from his trance. He ran to the hall closet, pulling out their first aid kit. They were prepared for attacks like these. Valentina had made sure they had antidotes for any poisons or infections.

Alek helped Jasmine first by giving her a small vial filled with a blue liquid.

"It's my fault. All my fault," Jasmine kept whispering. "My fault."

"Listen to me Jazz. This is _not _your fault. Okay? Not at all. You need to call the healers and try to help Aunt Val. I have to find Chloe," Alek said, as calmly as he could under the circumstances.

"Hurry Alek. I think she may have been attacked as well," Jasmine hissed in pain as she stood, clutching her side. At Alek's hesitation, she pushed him towards the door. "Go! Help Chloe."

Alek was barely out the door when Amy called him in near hysterics. "What is it Amy? I'm just heading out to find Chloe!"

"I-I'm with he-her now! She was sh-shot! A-and Brian is d-dead. And we don't know wha-what to d-do!" Amy wailed through the phone. Alek's heart stopped.

"What in the world happened Amy! Where is she?" Alek roared.

"The old cable car museum," Amy cried before hanging up. Alek tucked his phone safely in his pocket before running towards Chloe.

~AC~

"Alek is on his way Chloe. We need to move outside," Paul spoke softly, trying not to scare Chloe more than she already was. Chloe nodded, though still not speaking. The last thing she had said was similar to Jasmine. _This is all my fault_.

Amy helped Chloe up, leading her outside. Alek had just rounded the corner when the three friends came outside. Chloe immediately started crying at the sight of Alek running towards her. She tried to turn away, but Amy refused to let her.

"He's here to help Chloe. Please," She moaned, pushing her best friend towards Alek. A few other Mai followed behind Alek.

"Where?" Alek asked when he stopped in front of Chloe. She looked back at the building quickly before turning away again. "The boy is in there. I'm taking Chloe to the apartment. Make sure her friends get home safe," Alek ordered the men behind him. Amy and Paul were led away while Alek took Chloe in his arms and carried her all the way back to his apartment.

"It's all my fault," She repeated over and over as they ran through San Francisco.

"Shh, Chloe. It's not your fault. You're safe, Shh," Alek whispered to her, trying to calm the shaking girl in his arms. The elevator ride was quiet, except for Chloe's sniffling. "I just want to warn you. Zane attacked. He almost killed Jazz. Jazz is fine, but, Val isn't. She's gone. You're going to have to tell us what happened."

"Okay," Chloe whispered. Alek sighed in relief. That was the first thing she said other than that everything was her fault. Alek carried her to the couch, setting her down carefully. He sat in front of her on the ground, watching her.

"Jazz! I got Chloe," Alek yelled into the apartment. Jasmine came from the guest room and smiled wetly when she saw Chloe.

"Thank Baset. I was so worried. Are you okay Chloe?" Jasmine asked, moving to sit next to Alek. She took in Chloe's appearance and looked to Alek for understanding.

"Chloe, can you tell us what happened?"

"I- uh, I have been getting these emails from my dad. It wasn't really my dad, but I thought it was. He told me to meet him at the cable car museum, so I did. But there were these Order guys, and I beat them, but then this lady in all white shot me. It took longer for me to wake up, but I guess Brian heard and he came in and when he saw me wake up, he kissed me. I tried so hard not to let it happen. But I did! I'm a murderer Jazz!" Chloe sobbed. Jasmine ignored Alek's wince as Chloe mentioned kissing Brian.

"You didn't do it on purpose Chloe. It's not your fault," Jasmine said soothingly.

"Yeah, it's his. He's an idiot," Alek said. Their conversation before the whole night started to come back to him. "Look, I need some air. I'll be back in a little bit." With that, Alek left. Jasmine sighed. She knew he wouldn't be back for a few days. He really needed to cool off.

"Is he really angry with me?" Chloe's whisper brought Jasmine back to reality.

"He's more angry with himself than anything else. Give him time Chloe. I mean, you did say you loved Brian. And I don't think you really explained very well. He'll be back in a few days. Until then, you are staying here. We need you close. A fake business trip was set up for your mom, and Paul and Amy's families "won" vacations. They need to be safe. We can't let anymore die," Jasmine explained. The words sunk in. Valentina didn't make it. If she wasn't around and making moves, she was gone.

Chloe's body shook with a new wave of sobs. "This is _all _my fault."

~AC~

Alek was somewhere near Nevada by now. He ran and didn't stop. If he stopped, he'd only be thinking of Chloe and her human. When he ran, he could forget about everything. But he had to stop soon since he was growing tired. A cheap motel off the side of the road offered Alek solitude. Though, since he was not running, he had forever to think of Chloe.

She knew what he wanted. He, however, had no clue what Chloe wanted. He wanted her to be his girlfriend, she didn't know if she wanted a Mai or a human she couldn't have. The thinking drove Alek crazy. He knew he didn't know the whole story. But he didn't know if he wanted to. He hadn't exactly given her a chance to explain though. The guilt and anger continued to build up until he let out a huge roar and gave the wall near the window a hole. It was the first time in years that Alek actually broke down and cried. It was his turn to blame himself. _This is all my fault. _

**SO! I hope you liked it! Trust me, it will get lighter. I know it seems very dark and sad. But what do you expect? Chloe was shot. Brian is dead. Jasmine and Valentina almost died. They should all be allowed to be sad! : ) Well, please leave a review and let me know if I should continue.**

**Oh! And Go Pack Go! Rooting for the Packers today! **


	2. Chapter 2

It took a few days for Alek to calm down and head home. Three days after his departure, Chloe had fallen into a depression no one could bring her out of. She was sad about Brian, she was sad about Valentina, but, to her surprise, she was most sad about Alek leaving. She knew he needed space. But she needed him. Both Chloe and Jasmine needed him to heal. Jasmine had just lost her mother, and Chloe had lost her Mai mother in a sense. As stiff and difficult as Valentina was, she was a mother in a way to Chloe. Her mother would be on her "business" trip for another week, so she was staying with Jasmine for the time being.

Chloe hadn't moved from the couch in three days. She got up for the bathroom, but that was about it. She was losing weight and fast. Jasmine tried coaxing her into eating, but the only response she would get was a blank stare and the words "all my fault".

Jasmine tried calling Alek to come back sooner, but he never responded. If Chloe wasn't sitting like a statue on her couch she might have gone out looking for him. However, Chloe was, and Chloe needed more help and attention than Alek did at the moment.

When Alek moved through the front door three days after his disappearance the first person he saw was Chloe, staring blankly at the TV, which wasn't even turned on. Jasmine turned from her spot in the kitchen and was hugging Alek tightly within seconds.

"Where have you been!" She exclaimed, pulling away from him.

"Nevada. Needed space," Alek said shortly, bringing his attention from Chloe to Jasmine.

Chloe took a shuttering breath before standing and heading out on the balcony. It was the first time she moved in three days that wasn't towards the bathroom.

"Is she okay?" Alek asked quietly, too quiet for Chloe to hear.

"She hasn't moved, eaten or talked in three days. All she will say is that it's all her fault. I've caught her looking at the front door, waiting for you a couple times the first day you were gone. That stopped after the first night. I know she won't admit it, but she needed you. I needed you too, you know?"

"I know, and it was wrong of me to leave the way I did. I'm going to make her a sandwich and try to get her to eat. Can we talk later?" Alek asked, already moving towards the kitchen.

"Okay. And Alek? Don't mention Brian unless she does. Just be careful, she's in a really fragile state right now," Jasmine warned before moving to her room. Alek quickly made Chloe a small peanut butter and jelly sandwich before opening the screen door.

Chloe was leaning against the railing. Alek set the sandwich on the table, and touched her shoulder to get her attention. Chloe looked up at him and almost immediately started crying.

"I am so sorry Alek!" She exclaimed. "I didn't know the emails were fake. It was a trap and because of me Valentina lost her life. It's all my fault Alek! Please forgive me. I didn't mean to hurt anyone! I just wanted to see my dad!"

Alek pulled her into a hug, rubbing her back to calm her down.

"It wasn't your fault. Zane would have attacked no matter where you or I were. We can all blame ourselves for what happened. I know Jasmine blames herself for involving herself with Zane. I blame myself for getting caught up in our fight and not protecting you. And you blame yourself for falling for the Order's trap. I know no matter how much we tell ourselves it was our fault, it really wasn't. It's only Zane's, for lying and betraying his kind. I know what happened really sucks, but we need to stick together and help heal each other. I'm sorry I took off the way I did. I just needed a breather. I made you a sandwich, will you try eating it? For me?"

Chloe picked up the sandwich and took a small bite. "Thank you. I'm sorry I got your shirt all wet," She said in between bites.

"Don't worry about it."

"And I'm also sorry about everything else that happened before, with Brian and all. He was a mistake, and I think the only reason I held onto him for so long was because he was almost my last link to my human life," Chloe continued after finishing her sandwich.

"It's alright-"

"It's not though!" Chloe interrupted, wiping away a few fresh tears. "I said stuff I didn't mean and it hurt you and as soon as you left I regretted it. When you left it made me realize how much I need you, not Brian. I'm sorry it took all my screw-ups and Valentina dying for me to come to my senses. When you disappeared three days ago I didn't move or eat. I know that was dumb but I was just waiting for you to come back, you know? And I understand if you don't want to deal with me and my crazy mood swings and everything, but I would really like a second chance."

"You do realize that you're really on you third or fourth chance?" Alek asked, smirking a little.

Inside, Jasmine was smiling as she listened to her best friend and her cousin work their differences out. She knew they were meant to be together, she just hopped they realized it soon before anything else slows down their progress.

"Shut up Petrov. I know I've messed up a lot, but now I know how I feel and I just want you to know that I really like you," Chloe said, smiling now. It felt weird to her to smile after three days of crying and frowning.

Alek answered the girl in front of him by pulling her to him by the hips and bringing his lips to hers. The kiss was similar to the one they shared on her roof after saving Vanessa from being shipped and sold across seas. When they pulled apart, they were both smiling.

"I am extremely tired, and I know I will have to answer more questions tomorrow. And you, Chloe King, will need to explain to me how for three days you were gloomy and upset, but now you can't stop smiling."

"I can answer that right now. I was gloomy because you weren't there, and I'm happy now because you're here and you're going to help me, because I really need you and Jasmine with this whole Uniter thing, and I really wanted you here," Chloe said, still smiling.

Alek took her hand in one of his, and the forgotten PP&J plate in the other, before heading inside to get some much needed sleep.

"Well I'm here now, and I don't plan on leaving you again Chloe," He said before kissing her swiftly and turning to his room. Chloe touched her lips as she moved to the guest room where she was supposed to be staying while she waited on the couch for Alek to come back.

Everyone was in a _much _better mood now. However the three teenagers wondered how long that would last.

**Hey! Sorry for the delay. At first this was going to be a multi-chapter story then I had no ideas or motivation so I made it a one-shot, but then I decided I missed writing on this site, and I had more ideas for this story then any of the others I left hanging. Please follow me, as I am working on another Nine Lives story right now. I go back to school on the 7****th****, and I don't know how frequent updates will be, but please stick with me! Hope you liked this very, VERY late addition. : )**


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